Cicero (on the Stoics) · 106–43 BCE
On Duties 2.77 — Cicero (on the Stoics)
Translation by Walter Miller (1913)
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.77
There is, then, to bring the discussion back to the point from which it digressed, no vice more offensive than avarice, especially in men who stand foremost and hold the helm of state. For to exploit the state for selfish profit is not only immoral; it is criminal, infamous. And so the oracle, which the Pythian Apollo uttered, that "Sparta should not fall from any other cause than avarice," seems to be a prophecy not to the Lacedaemonians alone, but to all wealthy nations as well. They who direct the affairs of state, then, can win the good-will of the masses by no other means more easily than by self-restraint and self-denial.
Cite this passage
Cicero (on the Stoics), On Duties 2.77, tr. Walter Miller (1913)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-duties/2.77
Cicero, On Duties (De Officiis), tr. Walter Miller (Loeb, 1913). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesGreed is the most offensive vice, especially in those at the helm, and exploiting public office for private profit is not just wrong but criminal. Leaders win the public's goodwill most easily through self-restraint and self-denial, and a warning that Sparta would fall through avarice applies to every wealthy nation.
Older wording
- “avarice”
- — greed for money
- “Lacedaemonians”
- — the Spartans
- “oracle”
- — a shrine or priest delivering divine prophecy
Themes and situations
- Wealth and poverty
- Justice and fairness
- Leadership and power
- Self-discipline and habit
- Leading others
- An ethical dilemma
- Money, status and wanting more
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